Legacy: The Hogwarts Class of 1978
by aprilgirl01
Summary: Each generation of Hogwarts brings a fresh crop of promising new wizards and witches. But, unbeknownst to us, my generation would be the stuff of legends. I am Emmeline Lance, the only one still alive from the Hogwarts class of 1978. So it falls on me to tell you all the stories of my peers.
1. Default Chapter

*I don't own HP*

This is not a story about their time at Hogwarts. This is a story about how all of them lost their lives, and how the war changed all of them. Told from the perspective of a cannon character, but she is pretty OC in personality. Also, I've tried to be as cannon as possible, but there are some places, and there will be some whole chapters, with OC's.

You know about Lily Evans, James Potter, Sirius Black, and so many others of their time, who fought, some like heroes, some not, until they died. You may even know a little about me. But I doubt it. My name is Emmeline Vance. I am the last one. The final one standing. The only one left. I am the only living student from the Hogwarts class of 1978.

My classmates, almost the entire wizarding world knows of them. But I am the last one who really knew them, as people, not just as soldiers. So it falls upon my shoulders to tell the stories of all thirty two of my classmates, for I am the only one who can tell their legacies now.

In 1972, Hagrid led yet another boatload of first years up to the castle to be sorted. By now, this was routine for him, and everyone else at Hogwarts. But, unbeknownst to everyone in the castle, we would be the generation that stood out. But nobody could have seen it coming. Lest of all myself or my peers.

I remember being on those boats. Hogwarts loomed over the black lake, and as we approached, trepidation rose within all of us. Hogwarts seemed like the biggest step we would ever take.

Professor McGonagall led us into the hall. Everyone stared at us. I think we were all nervous. I know I was. A short, brown-haired girl sidled up to me.

"Are you afraid?"

"No," I replied, without hesitation, "Just apprehensive."

This girl nodded. Little did I know that this was Dorcas Meadows; fated to be my best friend. And fated for a terrible end.

Just then, I remember, the sorting started. One by one, students were called up. I can't recall each one, but a few stuck in my brain.

When "Black, Sirius!" was sorted into Gryffindor, the commotion was louder than I ever thought it could be. The Gryffindors were cheering, but the Slytherins were screaming, booing, rioting. I didn't understand back then, the gravity of what house you were in. I do know.

"Dearborn, Caradoc!" Took the longest time to sort. It took eight minutes for the hat to finally declare him a Hufflepuff.

"Evans, Lily!" took the shortest amount of time to sort. Practically a second after the hat touched her head, she became a Gryffindor.

After that, I remember zoning out, until "Vance, Emmeline!" was called. Two minutes in, I became a Ravenclaw.

After we were all sorted, the feast began. That day, I think, sealed our fates. Had one person been sorted differently, Sirius into Slytherin, or Lily into Ravenclaw, for example, things might have been completely different. The rundown was:

_Gryffindor_

James Potter

Sirius Black

Peter Pettigrew

Remus Lupin

Lily Evens

Mary MacDonald

Marlene McKinnon

Alice Creir

Alyssa Prewett

_Slytherin_

Severus Snape

Avery Thoms

Mulciber Harvend

Antonin Dolohov

Leonna Shmitt

Maxine Greengrass

Natalie Parkinson

Tiffany Warton

_Hufflepuff_

Benjy Fenwick

Edgar Bones

Caradoc Dearborn

Dedalus Diggle

Amelia Bones

Madalina Boot

Gracie Abbot

Nadia Patil

_Ravenclaw_

Elphias Doge

Jordan Boot

Maxwell Brown

Charles Gutherson

Penelope Braithswaite

Emmeline Vance

Dorcas Meadows

Tina Quirke

And there we were. The 33 of us, all bumbling little first years, had no idea that only I would live to have grandchildren. And while many of my peers never even had a family, they all had a story. I can remember vividly how each one died, and I feel it is my duty to share all of their legacies with you.

Next chapter will start the stories. Please review! It means a ton to me!


	2. Madalina Boot

Thank you to Rueflower7 and yzzilbe for your amazing reviews!

*I don't own Harry Potter*

Seven years after that fateful night with the sorting hat, all of us seventh years were ready to make our mark on the real world, and have problems other than last-minute homework assignments. I remember graduating with Dorcas, both of us having achieved high NEWTs, both of us heading for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

In those first two months, things were not easy. You-Know-Who was on the rise, yet all 33 of us were still too naïve to notice much. Then, two months after we left our haven of Hogwarts, disaster struck for the first time.

I remember sitting at my desk at work, going over some briefs with Dorcas and our boss, Gideon Prewett. Then, the unexpected face of Tina Quirke burst into the office, gasping, red-faced, with puffy eyes. One of the older men tried to stop her, but she whispered something in his ear, and he let her pass. Dorcas and I stood up.

"Tina, what's-" I remember Dorcas running up to her, guiding Tina into a chair as Tina got out, in shaky breaths,

"Dorcas… Emmeline, it's Madalina Boot, you know, the Hufflepuff… she's gone… she's dead…"

I remember the words taking some time to process. Madalina couldn't be dead. Even though we were out of Hogwarts, we were really still kids; we still felt invincible. Madalina's death shattered our bubbles of invincibility.

Nothing bad happened at Hogwarts. Ever. Sure, Mary got cursed once by Mulciber, and had to go to Saint Mungo's, sure, there was prejudice against muggle borns, but at Hogwarts, nobody died. Everyone got their happy ending.

I remember Dorcas breaking down into tears. Then, I felt a searing pain in my palm. I looked down to see that, in my shock, I had crushed an ink bottle, and my hand had been cut.

Then I passed out.

But my story isn't the important part here. Madalina's death brought us harshly into the adult world, where pain and grief did exist. Not many people remember her, and when they do, they remember her as "one of the first to die in a war."

But Madalina was never a soldier. The war shaped us all, made us tough. Madalina was still a child, still seventeen.

Madalina was… well, she was the nicest kid you ever knew, with a crazy talent for charms. I think Professor Flitwick always wished she had been in his house. Her laugh was infectious. She was my partner in charms during my first and second years at Hogwarts. She was the only reason I passed Flitwick's class those two years.

In third year, we began to drift apart. In the next five years, her best friends were Gracie Abbot, Nadia Patil, and Amelia Bones. I would love to ask one of them more about her time at Hogwarts, but that will never happen. Not now.

Madalina was sweet on Maxwell Brown. Everyone knew that. They started going out seventh year. Unlike Lily and James, their relationship was very slow. Neither of them planned on getting married any time soon. But I think we all found them adorable.

On the day she died, Madalina blew up a cauldron. She was trying to fix a potion to get rid of her hiccups, but she had never been good at potions. So, Madalina floo'ed in to Diagon Alley, to buy a new cauldron.

At precisely noon that day, there was a huge explosion in the Leakey Cauldron. Then, Death Eaters swarmed in by the hundreds. The survivors of the attack are few, and they say that the Dark Mark was projected into the sky dozens of times. Many people died, including Madalina. One survivor told me that he saw her get hit in the back with the killing curse.

In some ways, it is good that Madalina died. She was a sweet, happy girl, nicer and more optimistic than the rest of us. The war would have crushed her.

What else did I know about Madalina? She had a cat. She was an only child. She was a pureblood. Her family could trace lineage back to Helga Hufflepuff herself. She loved tongue twisters. She scored highest in the grade on every single charms assessment, except for our third year exam, where Lily Evans beat her by four percent. She liked to sing.

Maybe, if Madalina hadn't blown up her cauldron, things could have gone differently. But she did.

I remember gathering at Nadia Patil's house with Nadia, Dorcas, Amelia, Gracie, Tina, and Penelope. As the girls of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, we had been good friends at Hogwarts. Amelia, Gracie and Nadia sobbed, and it fell on me, Tina, Dorcas, and Penelope to give them hugs and comfort them, while we cried alongside them.

I remember Lily Evans showed up, Marlene, Alyssa, Mary, and Alice in tow. All day, we sat in Nadia's living room, talking, laughing, and crying. The boys showed up eventually, as well. James had followed Lily, and everyone else followed James. Everyone was there, except for the Slytherins. We ended up all crashing at Nadia's house, and when we parted the next morning, saying goodbye, we left as adults.

Madalina's death changed all of us. No longer were we kids playing adults, her loss had turned us into grown-ups.

Now we were 32. James, Sirius, Peter, Remus, Lily, Marlene, Alice, Mary, Alyssa, Severus, Avery, Mulciber, Antonin, Leonna, Maxine, Natalie, Tiffany, Benjy, Edgar, Caradoc, Dedalus, Nadia, Amelia, Gracie, Elphias, Jordan, Maxwell, Charles, Dorcas, Penelope, Tina, and Me; Emmelina.

There we have it! The next chapter should be up soon. I have a lot of OC's coming up, but I will try to make everything as cannon as possible. Please review! Constructive criticism is welcome!


	3. Maxwell Brown

Thank you yzzilbe for continuing to review!

*I don't own HP*

One week after Madalina's death, I received an owl from Dumbledore, inviting me to the Hog's Head at noon. So I apparated into Hogsmeade, and walked to the pub. I remember opening the door, and being shocked to find all the faces of my peers, along with a few people who I didn't know, staring back at me. I saw Dorcas in a corner, and slid into a seat next to her.

At the front of the deserted pub was Dumbledore. He held up his hands, and I remember everyone quieting down- just like at Hogwarts. Dumbledore looked at all of us, and said, "You are probably wondering why I brought you here. In light of, ah, certain circumstances, we are one fewer than we should be. However, this is an issue that cannot be ignored any longer."

I remember him taking a deep breath. I remember wondering- could Dumbledore be _nervous_?

"Lord Voldemort is a threat to our entire society. I have appealed to the ministry over and over, yet they are hopelessly lost. So I have gathered you, some of my most recent Hogwarts graduates, and some of my most trustworthy former students, to ask- if I were to give you a chance to fight Voldemort, even if it meant risking your life- would you take it?"

Lily Evans raised her hand- just as if she was in school. "Sir, I don't understand."

Dumbledore smiled at her, his bright eyes twinkling. "Lily, you do not have to call me "Sir" anymore. You are an adult now."

Lily blushed.

"Anyways. I think it is time to take action. Voldemort needs to be taken down. I am forming… an Order of sorts, and I wish you to be the members. Together, we will defeat Voldemort."

I remember it getting really quiet. We had just been invited to help take down the darkest wizard of all time. And yet, nobody wanted to make the first move.

Out of the corner of my eye, I remember seeing James Potter whisper something to his friends. They nodded, and all four of them stood up. James spoke.

"We're in."

And just like that, the Order of the Phoenix was born.

The Order soon consumed our lives. Wake up. Work. Come home. Order meeting. Sleep. Repeat. It became our routine. The Hog's Head, owned by a member of the Order, became our meeting place. I remember the last meeting of the entire order.

"Albus, we need to start doing things. We've been planning for just under three months. It's time to take action."

"Maxwell, you need to be patient. We aren't ready yet. If I let you go of a mission, you could die. I saw we wait another month."

"But Albus-"

"Maxwell. It's too risky. Wait another month, and I promise I'll let you go on a mission."

I remember how Maxwell ran a tired hand through his close-cropped blond hair. His eyes, once bright, honey-brown, had dulled ever since the death of his girlfriend, Madalina, three months prior. When I close my eyes, I can see clearly the frustrated look on his face, the broken look in his eyes. Dorcas leaned over to me and whispered,

"He's going to go, whether Albus likes it or not. Don't you see, Emmeline? He's given up."

I nodded. "He must have loved Madalina more than he let on."

I remember the way Maxwell slammed his palms on the table, as he rose. "Albus," he boomed, and his voice echoed across the pub, "The love of my life was taken by the Death Eaters. I will get my revenge, and I cannot wait another day."

Dumbledore looked piercingly at Maxwell. His eyes, I recall, were big and sad. He didn't want to risk any of us, but I think Dumbledore saw that Maxwell was already gone.

"Fine." The old man's voice was quiet. I remember the sadness in Dumbledore's voice, as he gave Maxwell instructions.

"The Death Eaters have been meeting at an old pub in Knockturn Alley. Tonight, I believe, they will be there, discussing their own plans. I want you to go and spy on them, gather intelligence. We cannot win this war without being a step ahead of our enemies."

I knew Maxwell wanted action. He looked as if he was about to argue, then he slumped back in his chair. "Fine. You can count on me. I'm going home to get ready."

The Order meeting ended, and that was the last time any of us saw Maxwell.

We gathered at the Hog's Head early the next morning, eager to see how the first mission had gone. I remember the confusion when neither Dumbledore nor Maxwell showed up. We waited for an hour. Then two. Three hours later, Dumbledore strode in.

"Albus, what-"

"Where's Maxwell? How-"

"Did everything go-"

"Oh, my gosh, Albus, he isn't-"

"Oh, no, Maxwell-"

Dumbledore looked at us over the top of his spectacles, and said, "Maxwell did not come back from his mission. I recovered the body this morning."

Everything went silent. No. Not another one.

I remember the grief that followed. One more friend to mourn. And we had just been recovering from Madalina.

What followed was a lot like what had happened after Madalina. Maxwell's best mate had been Charles Gutherson. We all went to Charles's house, and stayed the night. There were tears. There were words said. I think we were all happy to know that, no matter where Maxwell was now, he was with Madalina. And that was what he had really wanted.

A few things about Maxwell at school. He was in Ravenclaw with me; the only one who could rival James in Transfiguration. He was very much an extrovert, and would talk to anyone about anything. He was a half blood. He had a younger brother. I went on a date with him once, in fifth year. We decided to just be friends. He was a beater on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. He held extra-help sessions for the younger kids in Ravenclaw who were struggling with Transfiguration. He loved licorice wands.

Before Madalina died, his laugh was loud and booming. He was a very tall man, 6 foot 3, and he was broad shouldered. He was our gentle giant- would never hurt a fly.

Maxwell was best mates with Charles, but he was friendly to everyone- all the Ravenclaws loved him, anyone in the school would return his smile.

What happened to him was what never got to happen to Madalina. He grew up too quickly. He stopped smiling so much. He stopped laughing.

If he had been patient, if he had waited until Dumbledore thought he was ready, would he still be alive? Maybe, but he would never be the same.

Now we were 31. James, Sirius, Peter, Remus, Lily, Marlene, Alice, Mary, Alyssa, Severus, Avery, Mulciber, Antonin, Leonna, Maxine, Natalie, Tiffany, Benjy, Edgar, Caradoc, Dedalus, Nadia, Amelia, Gracie, Elphias, Jordan, Charles, Dorcas, Penelope, Tina, and Me; Emmelina.

To clear up some confusion, I added the names of the Slytherins to the list of the remaining people because they were part of that generation, but none of them were in the Order.

This chapter was kind of long, because I always imagined the Order getting set up after someone died, and I needed to put it in. If you are confused, have questions, like the story, love the story, have constructive criticism for the story, please let me know by reviewing!


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